Interview by Rob Riendeau

Zalzala: The Pakistan Earthquake is a documentary film about death, destruction, loss, and survival in the face of disaster. This film deals with the aftermath of the most devastating natural disaster in Pakistan’s history, the earthquake of October 8, 2005. Ultimately it is about the resilience of affected people of the Kashmir region. Produced by a team of ambitious film-makers from the Pakenham area, the story of the making of this film is as much of a story as the film itself. theHumm spent some time with Michelle Skanes of Hickory Dickory Documentary Films talking about this remarkable project that she and her husband, Jason Watt, have been working on.

Continue reading "From Pakenham to Pakistan, Via a Documentary" »

Posted on March 9, 2007 10:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

by Sally Hansen

Throughout his postings in the high Arctic and his travels around the world, Jason Watt has used a camera to record and report the incredible diversity of life on earth. His photography is as multi-faceted and as multi-purposed as his travels and his actions. His photography website offers glimpses of life in Tuktoyaktuk, Bolivia, Kashmir, and innumerable places in between.

Not a Still Life

Someone once said “The reason people plan is to make God laugh.” Jason isn’t much of a planner; he just does it. “I’m an adrenaline junkie, but I want to do good,” he tells me, and that is the common thread weaving throughout an exceptionally active life.
It isn’t any easier to pin labels on Jason Watt than it is to pin him down to one location or one job or anything else. Except his wife Michelle Skanes — she’s a constant in his life. She’s his travel partner and a partner in their new undertaking, Hickory Dickory Documentary Films (HDDF). This newest facet of Jason’s artistry and life is covered in more detail in a separate article in this Human Rights issue of theHumm.

Continue reading "Photographer Jason Watt — What Watt Sees Is What You Get" »

Posted on March 9, 2007 10:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Jackie Seaton

On the door of my fridge is a yellowing headline I clipped from a newspaper years ago: “I heard the news today, oh boy…” It greets me each morning, without a lot of information but still reminding me of the world out there.

My daily dilemma is this: do I shut the world out to better get on with my work as a studio potter, concentrating on producing beautiful objects to grace people’s domestic lives? Or do I embrace the world, lug some of its woes into my private work space and try to deal with them in some tangential way, one handful of clay at a time?
There is no right or wrong response. A few individuals who have mentored me during my career in clay over the last thirty years have lived lives devoted to artistic self-expression and the creation of form. We need people like that. They remind us that some things in this life are worth doing for their own sake and that a beautiful object, image or utensil can harmonize our responses to a discordant world. These artists and philosophers are among the greatest of teachers.

Continue reading "Empty Bowls: Pottery and Purpose" »

Posted on March 7, 2007 11:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)